[ad_1]
On the night of January 21, 2019, the Full Moon took on a spectacular red color as it crossed the darkest shadow of the Earth. The so-called eclipse of the Blood Moon was appreciated by millions of stargazers who were lucky enough to be caught in the night of the Earth that day. But the Moon of Blood was not the only sight to light the sky that night, as hundreds of amateur astronomers reported a strange lightning on the moon. A team of Spanish astronomers confirmed that the lightning bolt was an asteroid striking the moon at nearly 61,000 km / h.
Professor Jose Maria Madiedo of the University of Huelva and Dr. Jose L Ortiz of the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia presented their findings in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Society of Andalusia. ;astronomy.
Astronomers have estimated that the fast asteroid left behind an impact crater measuring up to 15 meters long.
The unexpected asteroid hit the Moon of Blood around 4:41 GMT shortly after the entire eclipse.
The flash of light caused but the impact was bright enough for moon lovers to see it at the naked eye.
Spanish astronomers confirmed the flash using the Moon Impact Detection and Analysis System (MIDAS).
READ MORE: Apophis, a 1,115ft asteroid will skim the Earth as close as a spaceship
MIDAS is a series of eight helpless telescopes located in the south of Spain, all centered on the surface of the Moon.
The telescope system revealed that the impact flash of the asteroid only lasted 0.28 seconds.
Astronomers believe that this is the first impact of the genre to have been filmed during a lunar eclipse, although astronomers have already reported having already seen flashes of impact.
Professor Madiedo said: "Something inside me said it would be the moment."
Unlike the Earth, the Moon does not have a dense atmosphere to protect itself from the powerful impacts of asteroids.
READ MORE: Exercise WARNING on asteroids: "Millions of safe people to evacuate" in an extreme impact simulation of ESA
And astronomers believe that these asteroid impacts could be common.
In 2004, Spanish astronomers detected a 400 kg space rock striking the moon at an impressive 64,374 km / h.
The asteroids probably left behind an impact crater 131 m (40 m) wide.
The most recent asteroid would have weighed about 45 kg.
READ MORE: The Moon is made of MAGMA and was once part of the Earth, say scientists
But the size of the space would have been tiny, measuring only between 11.8 inches and 23.6 inches (30 cm to 60 cm) in diameter.
The impact force would have been the equivalent of 1.5 tonnes of TNT.
Professor Madiedo said: "It would be impossible to reproduce these high-speed collisions in a laboratory on Earth.
"Observing lightning is a great way to test our ideas on what exactly happens when a meteorite collides with the moon."
[ad_2]
Source link